Chapter 2
In the morning Poppy woke up first, sitting up as quietly as she could manage to look over at her bed companions.
Both Branch and Hefty were still sleep and neither had moved much from how she last saw them but it was just enough for her to wish she had borrowed Biggie's camera. Hefty was asleep on his back, one arm tucked underneath Branch as a pillow as the other gently cradled Branch's injured arm over his stomach in a protective fashion. Still on his side, Branch's head was on Hefty's arm, almost to his shoulder, Branch's hair having instinctively wrapped around Hefty's head in a sort of blue halo.
Really, those two just made such a sweet picture. She wondered if either of them realized how well they fit together. Well at least Hefty seemed to have an inkling of the potential between them, Branch seemed too stubborn to acknowledge it just yet. Still that was Branch, he yet to consider any Troll outside of Poppy a friend, no matter how much the others tried to include him.
Slowly, so not to disturb them, Poppy hung her legs off the side of the bed and rotated her ankle. The swelling was gone and so was the pain, it was as if it had never been injured to begin with.
Unable to contain it, Poppy leapt to her feet and belted out into song, "I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!)
And don't it feel good
Hey, alright now
And don't it feel good, hey!"
"Hey," Branch was sitting up and half glaring at her, seeming unaware of the position he had just been in. "Can't you walk on sunshine where people aren't trying to sleep?"
"Sorry Branch," Poppy giggled, watching Hefty also sit up and rotate the arm Branch had been sleeping on in confusion. She hopped back onto the bed beside him. "How are you feeling?"
"Peachy," grumbled Branch.
"Branch," Poppy scolded, crossing her arms.
"I got mauled by a giant creature, how do you think I feel?" asked Branch.
"Azrael is a cat," Hefty stood and stretched. Suddenly he dropped to the floor and started to do pushups, half smiling when he heard Poppy giggle and Branch grumble. "He belongs to Gargamel."
"Garga-what now?" Branch questioned.
"Gargamel," Hefty continued his pushups. "He's a wizard wanna-be that's always trying to find our village."
"Why?" asked Poppy.
"Does he want to eat you?" Branch suddenly seemed very concerned.
Stopping his workout, Hefty sat on the ground and faced the two Trolls now staring at him. "Not exactly. You see, Smurfs have an innate magic in us. Papa is really the only one who knows how to use it, that and Magician Smurf to an extent, but we all have it. Gargamel wants to capture us and drain our magic to make himself into a powerful wizard."
The trolls were silent for a bit, Branch spoke first, voice soft, "Would that kill you?"
That made Hefty pause. He never really considered it before. Could a Smurf survive without their innate magic? Clumsy had described being drained as feeling heavier and lighter at the same time, almost like falling into a half sleep. Had Clumsy been dying before Smurfette saved them?
"I don't know," Hefty admitted. He really didn't want to find out either.
"Well it's not going to happen!" Poppy sprang up to her feet on the bed, raising up her hands in determination. "Gara-smell can kiss your blue butts and fall on a spike. He's never going to find your village just like the Bergan are never going to find our tree, right Branch?"
Both Hefty and Poppy turned to look at Branch, who was no longer looking at them. Instead, Branch was sitting up with knees to his chest, arms around his knees and staring outwards with a sort of blankness Hefty had never seen before on anyone's face.
Wait, was it Hefty's imagination or was Branch's blue a little paler than before? Almost like it had been dulled or… grayed.
"Branch?" Hefty stood and moved closer.
Though there wasn't a response to his name, Branch jumped at the movement from his peripheral vision. He looked at Hefty with wide eyes, still looking lost in some memory but in a blink of an eye it was gone, Branch back to his normal pale blue and looking at Hefty as if Branch's mind hadn't just been miles away.
"Yes?"
Hefty glanced over at Poppy, who was nibbling on her lower lip and fiddling her fingers as she looked at her feet. Apparently, these Bergen were a touchy subject.
"Are you hungry?" Hefty asked instead. "There's really nothing food wise in this mushroom but we can drop by Baker's for something before we go to Tailor's."
"Famished," Poppy answered for both of them before hopping off the bed and onto the floor. "What are your baker and tailor's names?"
"Ah, Baker and Tailor," Hefty scratched over his scalp, looking at Poppy oddly.
The trolls now looked at each other in confusion before Poppy shrugged and started to pull the blankets off of Branch, ignoring Branch trying to shoo her away and insisting he could get out of bed on his own. She then tried to put one of the blankets around Branch's shoulders.
Immediately Branch shrugged it off, "I am not wearing a blanket."
"But you don't have your vest," Poppy put the blanket back onto Branch and tried to tie it on, struggling against Branch's one good hand trying to deter her. "What if you get cold?"
"Hefty isn't wearing a vest and he's just fine," Branch protested.
Though he had been amused by Poppy and Branch's struggle, the smile immediately dropped from Hefty's face when Poppy turned to him, "Oh no, don't you turn this around on me. I'm always shirtless in the warm months."
For a moment Poppy stared at Hefty but then smiled. Not just any smile either, her eyes went big but with a happy little squint in Hefty's direction while her smile was small but struggling against the urge to grow wider every second. She may have even squeaked.
Branch looked between Hefty and Poppy, then made a disgruntled noise, "Please tell me you're not about to make Hefty a vest made of glitter. Do you even have glitter on you? It would be nice to go through a day without a glitter incident."
Poppy huffed and made a dismissive gesture with her hands but rocked back and forth on her feet a moment, still trying to keep her smile from widening, "Don't be silly Branch," she giggled, "How would I even make a vest out of glitter?"
With a hum, Branch turned to Hefty, "Congratulations on your future glitter vest."
Deciding it was best not to ask, Hefty moved over to the bed and offered a hand to help Branch to his feet. Though Branch rolled his eyes, Hefty smiled when Branch accepted the hand and carefully slid off the bed and onto the floor.
Efficiently distracted by her plotting, Poppy skipped out of the mushroom ahead of them, humming and occasionally backtracking to make sure she was going in the right direction.
"Poppy is just full of energy, isn't she," Hefty made sure to match his pace with Branch's slower one. It was obvious that the troll was hurting and a bit tired but he promised he would let Branch walk and would try to wait for him to ask for help.
Sighing, Branch rubbed between his eyes, "That is an understatement. If only there was a way to harness it, she could have lit my bunker for years."
The bunker. Poppy had mentioned it last night but this was the first time Branch shared such information with Hefty. A slip of the tongue, perhaps? Too tired to keep in things that he didn't ant Hefty to know? Or was he finally opening up a little?
Then Hefty noticed Branch's hair; it was moving. There was no wind but it wasn't as controlled as the other times Hefty saw Branch purposefully move his hair. The movement was more like the twitch of a rabbit's nose when it sensed danger.
Following Branch's line of vision, Hefty saw the problem; his fellow Smurfs. Though none had come closer yet, they were still staring at Branch and Poppy with unrestrained wonder and curiosity.
Suddenly Branch was stiffly trying to walk faster, trying to catch up with Poppy. Hefty was one thing, he somewhat knew the Smurf, but all of these look-a-likes were too much. There was no telling what any of these Smurfs wanted or would do if given the chance. And would they just stop staring already? He wouldn't be here if he had a choice!
"Woah," Hefty quickly caught up and cut Branch off, Branch hadn't realized how heavily he was breathing until Hefty had forced him to stop. "Take it easy, you're just going to hurt yourself more if you try to push yourself too much too soon."
"Poppy," was the only word Branch could manage between pants. Split ends, she was getting further away!
Turning, Hefty saw Poppy had managed to get some distance between them but wasn't looking back like she had been previously. Maybe she was too excited looking around at everything or distracted by whatever idea had popped into her head earlier to notice that he and Branch had fallen behind? He was going to have to run a bit to catch up.
Without thinking, Hefty turned back to Branch and tried to pick him back up but froze when Branch stepped back, automatically raising his arms in a self-defensive position. Yesterday it had been fun and a bit urgent to carry Branch against his will but now, if he really wanted Branch's trust, maybe he should try respecting his boundaries?
Quickly looking around, Hefty spotted on of the village bench's and pointed it out to Branch, "Just sit there for a minute. I'll grab Poppy and come right back for you."
As Hefty turned and rushed off, Branch wanted to scoff. He didn't need to sit, he needed to catch up with Poppy before that hyper princess got herself hurt! Just to spite him, Branch's head started to hurt, perhaps miffed at the exertion of energy he was still catching his breath from. Maybe sitting down wasn't a bad idea after all?
More Smurfs were walking around now. At least until they noticed Branch. Then they would stop and gawk at him, making Branch very much aware of the gauze all over his back and his bandaged arm. His hair moved awkwardly, trying to cover his back but stay calm and natural in its natural upright which only made him look less calm. Why didn't he let Poppy tie the blanket on him? He could have just blamed her for walking around looking stupid instead of being this exposed.
Finally sitting, Branch's hair relaxed and he did his best not to look around. He didn't need to see them to know that the staring Smurfs were still there. Maybe he should have let Hefty carry him but he wasn't a child, he could do things on his own. He's done just fine for the last twenty years.
Branch rubbed over his head, trying to ease the headache. All this trouble because Branch couldn't keep his damn mouth shut. If he hadn't been singing Hefty never would have come looking for its source. If Branch never met Hefty then Poppy never would have followed him into the woods and they would never have gotten hurt like this. If they hadn't have gotten hurt they wouldn't be stuck in this strange village, surrounded by strange Hefty-clones, being constantly stared at like some sort of freak.
But that means he never would have met Hefty. Things would have been better that way but the idea didn't sit right with Branch for some reason. The first Smurf Branch met really wasn't all that bad, he didn't seem interested in much besides getting to know Branch better which baffled the troll to no end. Hefty had even saved his and Poppy's lives from that Azrael cat-thing and Branch has yet to even thank him for it.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" a voice rose Branch from his thoughts. Standing beside him was Not-Hefty Smurf, scowling at him. At least it was better than all the gawking.
"Ah, sitting," Branch gestured to his body, currently on top of the bench in a sitting position.
"This is my bench," Not-Hefty sneered. "I come here same time, every day to grouch."
"Not stopping you," Branch looked him over for any defining characteristic. No tattoo, less muscles and the scowl were as far as he got. "Grouchy."
Not-Hefty huffed and sat beside Branch, crossing his arms, "How'd you know my name?"
"Wild guess," grumbled Branch and crossed his own arms. Really who named these Smurfs? The Papa one, right? He was either really patient in waiting for a defining trait to name all these Smurf with or really lazy.
"Aww," Poppy's voice made Branch look up again. She was riding on Hefty's back like a child as she grinned down at Branch. "You made a friend."
"Did not," Branch and Not-Hefty, Grouchy Smurf answered together. Well that didn't help his cause any.
Poppy giggled, sliding off Hefty's back as Branch stood.
"Try not to wander off," Branch half pleaded with the princess. "We don't know our way around here or anyone besides Hefty."
"You met Papa, Brainy and Willow last night," Hefty pointed out.
"And Smurfette," Poppy grinned.
"What am I, chopped liver?' Grouchy grouched.
"Yeah, yeah, nice to sit on a bench with you for half a minute Grouchy," Branch rolled his eyes.
"Grouchy?" Poppy giggled. "It's like he's your friendship soulmate."
Both Grouchy and Branch gave Poppy identical unimpressed looks as Hefty could barely contain his laughter as coughing.
Rolling his eyes, Branch turned back to Poppy, "Poppy, just stay close… please?"
Poppy overdramatically gasped, "You used the magic word! I am compelled to obey."
"Good," Branch sighed.
Spotting something behind Branch, Poppy's eyes sparkled, "Smurfette!"
Branch blinked and Poppy was gone, running off to speak to the blonde Smurf, "Seriously, what did we just finish talking about?!"
"At least she's in visual range?" Hefty waved to get Smurfette's attention and gestured for her to come towards them.
"But for how long?" Branch rubbed his forehead again, he was starting to feel a bit warm as his head continued to feel heavier by the minute. He really shouldn't have tried to run earlier.
Seeing the gesture, Hefty stepped closer and slowly, so not to startle Branch, raised his hand and touches Branch's forehead once Branch lowered his own hand, "You're really warm."
Raising his hand, Branch kept Hefty's hand on his forehead. Before when Hefty had carried him, the Smurf had felt really warm but now his hand felt cool against his burning skin.
"I think," Branch bit his lips, then sighed, "I think I need to lay back down."
Hefty nodded and slowly withdrew his hand, much to Branch's disappointment, "I'm going to pick you up again, okay?"
"I can walk," Branch grumbled but didn't move away.
"I know but you really wanna fall over and scare Poppy?" asked Hefty.
Branch crossed his arms, Hefty just knew that Branch had no idea he was pouting and was very cute at doing just that, "That's fighting dirty."
"I do what I gotta do," Hefty stepped closer, paused to see if Branch was going to fight him on his further, then picked him up.
The moment Branch was off his feet he became aware of just how drained he really as and slumped against Hefty. Though his hands had been cool, the rest of Hefty was still warm and felt nice and oddly familiar in a way Branch couldn't quite place as his eye drifted shut. He could feel Hefty give him a bit of a squeeze but he wasn't sure what for.
"Could you please not do that mushy stuff in font of my bench?" growled Grouchy.
Branch didn't really understand what Grouchy was referring to and could hear Poppy talking to him but couldn't make out the words. He fell asleep to the sound of whatever Hefty said in reply.
When Branch woke up again he was feeling chilled, curling up more onto his side in an attempt to retain some heat. His ears twitched to some movement near him before he felt another of the numerous blankets Poppy put on the bed, pulled over him. Slowly he managed to open his eyes and look at the blurry figure above him. The colors were wrong and what his brain was telling him was impossible but somehow something about his person made him question the possibility anyway.
"Grandma?"
The responding chuckle was warm but the voice definitely wasn't right. Branch blinked a few more times to clear his vision and saw that it was that Smurf Willow person standing above him and immediately felt ridiculous.
"Willow…"
"That's right," Willow nodded, pulling the blanket a little more securely around Branch. "Your fever has gotten worse I'm afraid. Hefty and Poppy are getting some food for you and Papa-thing is making some medicine." She saw Branch make a face and smiled gently, "I promise the medicine might taste nasty but it will help."
"It doesn't taste like Sarsaparilla, does it?" Branch recalled the horrid taste of those leaves Hefty had been so fond of and doubted he could drink anything like that without being sick afterward.
"Oh goodness no," Willow shook her head, "And I don't understand the boy's fondness for those leaves either."
Well at least there's that in his favor, Branch let his eyes close again but felt too cold to sleep. He probably wouldn't either with this unfamiliar Smurf standing watch over him. Then again, she had been there for who knows how long while he had been asleep previously and nothing happened. Maybe he could trust these Smurfs a little, Poppy was off alone with them after all…
"Poppy!" Branch sat up in the bed and immediately regretted it. His head felt so light he almost fell off the bed entirely.
Adding to Branch's humiliation, Willow caught Branch before he fell too far over and helped lay him back down on the bed.
"Relax, Poppy is safe," Willow assured him. "She's with Hefty, remember?"
"Hefty?" Branch relaxed a little. Hefty would definitely be able to keep Poppy out of trouble if Poppy didn't walk them both into trouble.
Willow pulled the blankets back over Branch and left to check on the medicine after Branch dozed back off.
"How's he doing?" Papa asked, smashing some herbs together.
"Still feverish and a bit disoriented," said Willow, glancing back at the bedroom. "And make sure that medicine doesn't taste like Sarsaparilla."
Papa Smurf hummed and looked at his ingredients, "I think we'll be good on that one."
Soon Hefty and Poppy returned, Hefty carrying a small pot of soup while Poppy carried a ladle, bowl and spoon. Hefty set down the pot by the hearth to keep it warm while Poppy put the rest on the counter near the hearth.
"How's Branch?" Hefty asked.
"He woke up briefly but we should let him rest," said Willow. She turned to Poppy, "Now near, I realized you two probably came here with Hefty in a hurry but do your family's have any idea where you are?"
"No," Poppy's ears drooped a little, "My father is probably so worried."
"And Branch's family?" asked Willow.
Poppy stayed silent and it worried Hefty, "Poppy?"
"Branch," Poppy hesitated. "Branch is an orphan."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Papa scratched his beard absently. He had raised so many Smurflings, it was hard to imagine one on their own. "How long ago did they pass?"
Ears drooping more, Poppy shrugged t she looked at her feet, "I don't know. I was only a toddler when we escaped the Bergan and they weren't around when I was older so I think it was before then."
The Bergan, those were those creatures that Poppy mentioned earlier. The ones that made Branch so… haunted.
"Poppy," Hefty glanced back at the bedroom. "What are the Bergen?"
Slowly Poppy reached up into her hair and pulled out a little book, which took the Smurfs by surprise. How did a book stay hidden up there?
Opening the book Poppy began her story of the happiest creatures, living in the happiest forest in the happiest tree when they were discovered by the Bergen. She told them how the Bergen were only happy when they ate Trolls and had a holiday based on the occasion. She explained how the Trolls escaped, lead by her father King Peppy, and "no troll left behind" before they came to live at the tree they're at now.
"Branch is a little older then me," Poppy continues, putting away her book. "He remembers what the old Troll Tree at Bergen Town was like. He's always been scared that the Bergen would find us again and eat us all. It hasn't exactly earned him any friends…"
So, Branch has been alone, without a family, for twenty years. He's lived alone, underground, in a bunker to hide from the creatures that probably took his family from him. And there was no one besides Poppy that understood that? No wonder they were close. And it made sense that Branch was used to doing everything on his own. Poppy had been younger then him, why hadn't anyone tried to help Branch?
And no wonder Branch had looked so freaked out when Hefty said Branch's blood had tasted good. Hefty probably made Branch think of the monsters that devoured his parents. Oh Smurf, had Branch seen it happen? That would definitely turn any troll gray.
Unable to stand still, Hefty grabbed the ladle and bowl, filling it up with the soup that they had brought.
"Hefty, please don't try talking to Branch about the Bergen," Poppy pleaded. "At least not while he's sick; it would only upset him."
Taking a deep breath, Hefty rotated his shoulders, trying to ease the tension. After he was calmer, he gave a little nod.
"Thank you," Poppy gave Hefty a gentle hug from behind.
Once Poppy released him, Hefty grabbed the spoon and went to go check on Branch, carefully using his foot to direct the stool back towards the bedside without tripping. He set the bowl on the nightstand for a moment before looking at Branch.
Still asleep, Branch was curled up and eyebrows furrowed, not at all the peaceful sleep of the night before.
Papa had said earlier that Branch should eat before taking any more medicine and Willow said to let him rest so what could Hefty do to help Branch sleep better now? Last night Poppy had sang for Branch and though Hefty had an okay voice he was no Singer Smurf. He especially didn't have Branch's siren voice or Poppy's cheerful elegance.
Let's see, Poppy had also stroked Branch's hair. Could Hefty do that? Troll hair was definitely different from the hair of any other creature Hefty has seen before. Most of the time it seemed normal but could grow and move like a limb at the Troll's will but also move instinctively like when Branch's hair twitched at being watched.
Scooting closer, Hefty reached out and stroked over Branch's hair the way he had seen Poppy do last night, from the scalp up. The hair was definitely softer then Hefty thought, moving with Hefty's hand as he petted it.
When Branch's eyebrows relaxed, Hefty knew he had to be doing something right. Still he was not expecting Branch's hair to start moving.
Bits of Branch's hair near where Hefty was stroking moved around in a lazy sort of wave before wrapping around Hefty's arm near the wrist. The hair didn't really restrict Hefty's movement as long as Hefty kept stroking Branch's hair but made it impossible for Hefty to pull his hand back.
Turning a bit in his seat, Hefty looked towards the other room, wondering if he could get Poppy's attention without waking Branch. Surely, she would know of a way to make Branch's hair let him go.
A soft hum from the bed stopped Hefty from calling out though. He turned back to the bed to see Branch blinking himself awake, hair still holding onto Hefty's arm.
"Hefty?" Branch questioned, not quite sure who he was looking at.
"Yeah, it's me bro," Hefty flexed his hand a bit, glad the hair wasn't holding on very tightly. It was possible he could just pull himself free but he didn't want to accidentally pull any of Branch's hair out. "Do you think you could give me my arm back?"
Branch blinked and looked around, trying to figure out what Hefty meant. He moved his head a bit, feeling his hair pull at Hefty's arm and felt his face turning plum that he couldn't blame on the fever. His hair delicately released Hefty's arm and he covered his face, just what was his hair thinking?
"Thanks," said Hefty, watching Branch refuse to look at him. "Ah, does your hair doing that mean something?"
"Heck if I know," Branch grumbled. "It's never done that before."
"Okay then," Hefty scooted his stool closer and picked up the bowl. "Think you can sit up and eat? I brought you some soup."
"No, I'm just waiting for the Earth to swallow me up, help yourself," Branch still was not looking at him.
"The Earth can swallow you up later," Hefty rolled his eyes and set down the bowl as he stood. "You gotta eat something so you can take the medicine Papa is making."
Grumbling, Branch curled up more.
"Fine," Hefty sighed, "I'll go get Poppy."
Hefty turned around, whistled softly as he walked, smiling when he heard movement behinds him. He turned, smirking triumphantly when he saw Branch slowly sitting up.
"You can't blackmail me with Poppy forever," Branch frowned at him.
Taking his seat back on the stool, Hefty grinned as he picked back up the bowl, "Why not, it's fun."
"So happy my misery brings you joy," Branch reached for the bowl.
Hefty held the bowl out of Branch's reach, "I don't do it to torture you, I'm trying to make you take care of yourself."
"I admit right now isn't the best example but I normally take care of myself just fine," Branch took the bowl when Hefty offered it to him again, "Always have."
Branch ignored the spoon and slowly drank from the bowl, aware that Hefty was watching him but figured it was just him making sure Branch actually drank the soup. It wasn't like he was going to dump it the moment Hefty wasn't looking, he only did that whenever Cooper gave him cupcakes.
"You must really care about Poppy a lot," Hefty said slowly, "To let her into that tough shell of yours."
"She never really gave me a choice," Branch paused, licking his lips. "You're a lot like her in that way." He noticed Hefty practically preening and smiled a little to himself, "You're both as stubborn as they come, unmovable from your mindset like a rock in the mud," he huffed a little laugh behind the soup bowl at Hefty's indignant expression, "but I guess your hearts are in the right place."
"That might be the closest you've never gotten to complimenting me," Hefty smiled.
Again, Branch paused, thinking about it. Had he really never said anything nice to Hefty? Threatening, yelling, name calling; why did Hefty want to be around him again?
"I feel like you'd like me to compliment your muscles but you compliment yourself enough on those," Branch ventured, completely not the direction he should have gone in.
Que Hefty flexing, "Can you blame me?" The Smurf gave his bicep a kiss.
"Doofus," Branch finished off the bowl while Hefty chuckled. "An incredibly patient and brave doofus but a doofus all the same."
Hefty stared at Branch for a long time, Branch almost worried he had broken the muscle head's brain when Hefty raised his hands, putting his pointer fingers to his thumbs to make a frame around Branch, "I want to memorize this moment for all time."
"I'll scrap book it for you," Poppy announced, disappearing from the bedroom's doorway as quickly as she came.
"How long was she standing there for?" asked Hefty.
"No clue," Branch admitted. He fiddled with the empty bowl, the soup had helped him feel warmer but he was still a bit chilled. He set the bowl down and reached for another blanket by his feet but Hefty got there first, standing and lifting it up to cover him. "Um, thanks."
"No problem bro," said Hefty. "But that's your third blanket, are you that cold?"
"I can't help it," Branch mumbled, he was sick and not everyone would be the living embodiment of fire masquerading as a Smurf.
Papa Smurf came in carrying a vial, followed by Willow, "Would you like anymore to eat before you take the medicine Branch?"
Really Branch wanted to protest taking anything the older Smurf made but then Hefty would just Poppy involved and it would just be another display of how Poppy had Branch wrapped around her little finger. He could live without any further humiliation, thanks.
"I'm good," Branch took the vial when it was offered and drank it as quickly as possible. It wasn't as bad as he was expecting but it wasn't going to be the toast of any party any time soon.
Taking back the empty vial, Papa Smurf, to Branch's surprise, patted the top of his head. No one had done that in a really long time, he hadn't even thought to bat the hand away before it retreated on its own.
"Now I've made enough for three more doses," Papa explained. "Hopefully your fever will have broken by then but I can always make more. Try to eat something before you take any of it or it will just upset your stomach. Any questions?"
Still a bit dumb folded by the earlier fatherly gesture, Branch just shook his head.
"Alright, rest well," said Papa.
"And no more overexerting yourself," said Willow.
Branch hummed in acknowledgement and the elder Smurfs headed out of the mushroom with no sign of where Poppy wandered off to, again.
"Is Willow your mother?" Branch asked.
"Huh?" Hefty looked confused.
"Papa Smurf is your father, right?" said Branch. "So, is Willow your mother and if yes, how is she still alive?"
"Oh, you think Smurfs have kids like the rabbits and such where the boy and the girl-" Hefty put two hands together, "And out comes a baby."
"Thank you for the biology lesson Brainy, didn't see you come in," Branch couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction when Hefty gave him a dirty look.
"Don't be an ass," said Hefty. "But to answer your earlier question, Papa Smurf is our Papa but he isn't our father in the biological sense. Baby Smurfs are dropped off by the stork so we're not technically related like rabbit siblings would be. Like if Tailor and Cobbler wanted to date, they could. It's the same for Willow's village; she's not any of the girl's mother but she raised them and any of the two of them could date if they wanted."
"What's a stork?" asked Branch.
"A bird," answered Hefty.
"So, let me get this straight," Branch began slowly. "There's a bird that gets baby Smurfs from unknown origins. Said bird then delivers all the boys to one village, with the exception of Smurfette, and all the girls to another village? Is there one boy Smurf in Willow's village? And was the bird drunk?"
Hefty chuckles, "There's no boys in Willow's village, but she and Papa are talking about maybe the girls moving here. Their village was destroyed by Gargamel and though its fixable he now knows where it is an its not as safe there as it used to be anymore. As for the drunk question… It is quite possible."
A small huff escaped Branch, but then it broke into a tiny chuckle. Honestly it was the most beautiful thing Hefty has ever heard outside of Branch's singing.
Branch wiped away some moisture that had gathered around his eyes. He really had not expected that, still it felt sort of nice. Maybe his fever made him more easily amused? It was definitely making him more tired.
Careful not to agitate his arm or back, Branch laid back down. He was close to drifting off a bed when he felt the bed shift, opening his eyes to see Hefty beside him, "What are you doing?"
"You're cold, I'm warm, figured I might work better than another blanket," Hefty shrugged.
"It's the middle of the day," Branch protested. "Shouldn't you be out lifting a dumbbell somewhere?'
"I can do that later," said Hefty. "You just sleep and think healing thoughts."
"I don't believe in that healing thoughts stuff," mumbled Branch but he could feel himself dozing off, Hefty really did give off a lot of heat.
"Sweet dreams Branch," Hefty said softly, scooting closer to the slumbering troll.